Apparatus for opening and filling bags



J1me 1944- A c. H. HAR' I'MAN ElAL 2,350,554

APPARATUS FOR OPENING AND FILLING BAGS Original Filed May 2, 1939 4Sheets-Sheet l EARL H. HARTMAN B5 1.1 A. MARSH NBILLE- DDRRINETDN J1me-1944; c. H. HARTMAN ETAL I APPARATUS FOR OPENING AND FILLING BAGSOriginal Filed May 2, 1939 4 SheetsSheet 2 mom H HA mm 55 Pu-L mm m@ E.y m m a.

J1me 1944- c. H. HARTMAN ETAL 2,350,554

'- APPARATUS FOR OPENING AND FILLING BAGS Original Filed May 2, 1939 4Sheets-Sheet 4 3 m. EARLHHARmm Esu A.MAR5H NBIILLE. DDRRINBTDN PatentedJune 6, 1944 Carl H. Hartman, New' Rochelle, and Esli A. Marsh and NeillE. Dorrington, Oswego, N. Y., assignors to St. Regis Paper Company, NewYork, N. Y., a corporation of New York Original application May 2, 1939,Serial No. 271,372; Divided and this application August 14, 1941, SerialNo. 406,828

14 Claims. (01. 226 59) This application is a division of priorapplication Serial No. 271,372, filed May 2, 1939, for Apparatus foropening, filling, and closin bags.

This invention relates to apparatus for opening and filling bags, andhas for its main object the provision of apparatus of this characterwhich will quickly and efiiciently open bags to the proper shape andfill them with charges of material.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide apparatus whichwill quickly open up paper bags or the like to the desired shape and atthe same time position them for receiving charges so that thepositioning and opening operation takes place simultaneously.

Other details and objects of the invention will appear as thedescription proceeds.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this invention Fig. 1 isa perspective view of the apparatus I viewed from the side where thebags are discharged;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus shown inFig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the apparatus shown in Fig.1.; but viewed fromthe side where the empty bag is fed to the machine, and being shown on alarger scale;

a the general construction comprises a. base 30 upon which there ismounted bag opening, filling and.

discharge means. There is indicated diagrammaticall a weighing apparatusdesignated by 33 in position to deliver weighed charges to thesuccessive bags. 1

The bag opening and filling apparatus shown in detail in Figs. 3 to 7,inclusive, comprises a housing 40 mounted upon base 30. Shaft 4| ismounted in suitable bearings within housing 40.-

Said shaft 4| is driven continuously by any suitable means. In thedrawings, this means is indicated on Fig. 3 as a driven belt 42 whichdrives a pulley 43 on shaft 44. Shaft 44 carries a worm 45-driving awormwheel 46 on countershaft 41.

pers 55.

The countershaft carries a gear 48 in mesh with a gear 49 on shaft 4|.

Mounted upon housing 40 there is a drum 5|] having a conical upwardextension 5| carrying a bearing 52 for central shaft 4|. (See Figs. 4and 5.) The drum carries also a cylindrical member 53 surrounding coneextension 5| and having a cam surface on its top edge, as will bedescribed later.

Mounted near the upper end of shaft 4|, there is a spider 54 carryingannularly arranged hop- (Figs. 2 and 3.) From each hopper there dependsa feeding tube and guide 56. A bag clamp 51 reciprocates vertically uponeach guide 56. Each clamp is supported and moved by links 58 connectingthe clamp to the end of a lever 59 pivoted at 6|) upon sleeves 6| keyedto the central shaft below spider 54. Bracket 62 depends from sleeve BIand provides guides for a vertical rod 63 to operate each lever 59. Nearthe lower end of each rod, there is fixed a collar 64 carrying a roller65 which travels on the upper cam surface 66 of member 53. Each lever 59is provided with slots 61 through which project pins 68 mounted on acollar, not shown, which in turn rests upon a spring 69 confined betweenthe collar to which pins 68 are attached and a collar 10 fastening onthe rod 63. Normally the spring maintains-the collar to which pins 68are attached in contact with collar ll thereabove, which limits theupward movement with respect to rod 63. When roller 65 is at the highestpoint on the cam, as shown -at the right of Fig. 3, spring 69 isslightly compressed for reasons which will be discussed later.

Each guide 56 consists of a substantially rectangular member comprisingfour sides, each of which is grooved to provide a guideway 15, as

appears most clearly from Fig. 6. The guide is also provided with a slot16 at each corner, which slot extends from the bottom of the guide for adistance, and is continued at its outer side by a groove 16*, as shownat the top of Fig. 6.

These slots 76 divide the lower end of the spout into four guide'memberswhich are shaped and spaced so as to fully spread the bottom of a bagraised thereabout.

Each clamp comprises a rectangular slidell having a projection 18fitting within each slideway 15. Projecting from the sides of the slide11, as clearly shown in Figs. 6 and 8, there are brackets 19 and 80carrying rockshafts 8| and 82 to which are attached spring clampingmembers 83 and 84 adapted to press the upp r end of a bag against theadjacent members 18, as clearly around the bag ment without injury tothe bag.

appears irom Figs. 4, 5 and a. Rockshaft al carries a trip member 85which is connected by a link 88 to an arm 81 on shaft .02. During therotation of the spider and the parts carried thereby, trip 85 comes incontact with an abutment member 88, as indicated on'Fig. 4; and forcesthe clamps upward out of clamping position.

Depending members 90,

from clamp slide 11 there are four one sliding in each corner slot 18,and the continuing groove 16'. The lower ends of these members are bentinward, as indicated at ill and join at a central point 92. 1

The operation of the bag opening and means described above is asfollows:

An empty bag is raised so that point 52 enters the mouth of the bag. Thetop of the bag is then raised and as it rises is spread out inrectangular form by the spreading lower ends 9| of the members 92. Thisopens up the top of the bag in rectangular form so that it slides upwardguide and is inserted between clamping members 83, 84 and the adjacentslide members 18. This operation is carried out at filling the centralposition shown on Fig. 3 and is shown at the left in Fig. 4. As thespider continues to rotate, roller 65 travels upward upon cam surface 68and raises lever 59 and clamp 51. This continues until the bottom. ofthe bag is brought up against the lower rectangular end of guide 56, asshown at the right of Fig. 5. It will be seen that in this way the bagis fully opened out so that it is rectangular in cross-section from topto bottom. Slots I6 extend upward far enough to allow the inwardlyslanting portions 9! to pass therethrough in this raised position, thestraight portions 90 being received by grooves 16*.

Preferably, there is a slight upward movemen of lever 59 after thebottom of the bag reaches the bottom of the guide 56, the clampsyielding enough to permit this continued upward move- If preferred, theclamps may be arranged to grip the bag tightly enough so that there willbe no slipping at this point, in which case spring 59 yields when thebottom of the bag reaches the bottom of guide 562 By the time that thebag has reached the position in which it is shown at the right of Fig.5, theassociated hopper 55 has reached a position beneath the dischargeoutlet 95 of the weighing device and by suitable means, not shown, theweighing device is timed to deliver a weighed charge of material intothe hopper while it is passing beneath the spout 95. It will be readilyseen that the material passes immediately downward through guide so intothe bag and is lowered with the bag as roller S5 rolls down the cam 66towards the position in which it is shown at the right of Fig. 4. Aspreviously indicated, the trip 85 is contacted so as to release the bagand drop it from the guide as it moves past member 88, the bag beingreceived by a conveyor disclosed in said parent application, but formingno part of the present invention. The clamp is then raised to bringpoint 92 above the top of the bag, as shown in the central position ofthe the bag into the desired rectangular cross-section throughout itslength is accomplished automatically and the bag is filled immediatelyupon the completion of the spreading operation and the material entersthe bag throughout its length while the bagis maintained in its retangular cross-sectional shape. The bag is then automatically releasedand discharged simultaneously with the completion of the lowering of thecharge into the bag and with the bag.

What we claim is:

'1. Apparatus for opening and filling bags comprising vertical guidemembers, a bag clamp movable vertically of said guide members andadapted to clamp the top of a bag, bag opener members attached to theclamp at their upper ends, fitting between the guide members, and bentto a common center at their lower ends.

2. Apparatus for opening and filling bags comprising vertical guidemembers, a bag clamp movable vertically of said guide members andadapted to clamp the top of a bag, bag opener members attached to theclamp at their upper ends, fitting between the guide members, and

bent to a common center at their lower ends, and means to deliverfilling material between the guide members. 7

3. Apparatus for opening and filling bags comprising a hopper, spacedguide members depending below the'hopper, a bag clamp movable verticallyoutside of said members, and bag opening members attached to the clamp,passing inward between the guide members and downward to a commoncenter.

4. Apparatus for opening and filling bags comprising a'hopper, spacedguide members depending below the hopper, a bag clamp movable verticallyoutside of said members, and bag opening members attached to the clamp,passing inward between the guide members and downward to a common centerbelow the lower ends of the guide members when the clamp is in itslowest position and as high as the lower ends of the guide members whenthe clamp is in its highest 1 bottom of the bag to filled shape when theclamp is raised.

guides in Fig. 1 and at the left of Fig. 5, where- 6. Apparatus foropening and filling bags comprising a hopper, a vertical guide tubebelow and in position to receive material from the hopper and having avertical slit therein, a clamp slidable vertically around said tube, anda bag opener flaring upwardly and comprising a member attached "to thebag clamp at its upper end and fitting in said slit.

7. Apparatus for opening-and fillingbags comprising a hopper, a verticalguide tube below and in position to receive material from the hopper andhaving a vertical slit therein, a clamp slidable vertically around saidtube, and a bag opener flaring upwardly and comprising a member attachedto the bag clamp at its upper end and fitting in said slit, the lowerend of the tube havtapering downward.

ing the shape of the fully opened bottom of the bag to be filled.

8. Apparatus for opening and filling bags comprising a hopper, a guidedepending from the hopper and terminating in four members shaped andspaced to form a rectangular spout with a vertical slit at each comer, abag clamp slidable vertically outside of said spout, members at-- tachedto the clamp at their upper ends, fitting within said slits, andextending downward and inward to a common-point.

10. Apparatus for opening and filling bags comprising an annular seriesof hoppers, afilling spout, means to rotate the hoppers beneath thespout, means to discharge filling material into each hopper as it passesbeneath said spout, a guide spout depending from each hopper, a bagclamp movable vertically about each guide spout, and a bag openerattached to the clamp and tapering downward, the guide spout having avertical slit therein and the upper end of the bag opener fittingthrough said slit.

11. Apparatus for opening and filling bags comprising an annular seriesof hoppers, a filling spout, means to rotate the hoppers beneath thespout, means to discharge filling materialinto each hopper as it passesbeneath said spout, a guide spout depending from each hopper, a bagclamp movable vertically about each guide spout,

and a bag opener attached to the clamp and tapering downward, the guidespout having a vertical slit therein and the upper end of the bag openerfitting through said slit, and means to raise the clamp to bring thelower end of the opener as high as the bottom of the guide spout as soonas the hopper associated therewith receives material from said fillingspout.'

12. Apparatus for opening and filling bags comprising an annular seriesof hoppers, a filling spout, means to rotate the hoppers beneath thespout, means to discharge filling material into each hopper as it passesbeneath said spout, a

guide spout depending from each hopper, a bag clamp movable verticallyabout each guide spout, and a bag opener attached to the clamp andtapering downward, the guide spout having a vertical slit therein andthe upper end of the bag opener fitting through said slit, means torelease the clamp at a point beyond the charging position, and means toraise and lower said clamp timed to lower the clamp with the openerextending below the guide spout as the guidespout approaches chargingposition, to raise the clamp so the lower end of the opener is as highas the bottom end of the guide spout by the time chargv ing position isreached, and to thereafter lowe the clamp to releasing position.

13. Apparatus for opening and. filling bags.

comprising an annular series of hoppers, a filling spout, means torotate the hoppers beneath the spout, means to discharge fillingmaterial into each hopper as it passes beneath said spout, a

guide spout depending from each hopper, a. bag clamp movable verticallyabouteach guide spout, and a bag opener attached to the clamp andtapering downward, the guide spout having a vertical slit therein andthe upper end of the bag opener fitting through said slit, means torelease the clamp at a point beyond the charging position, and means toraise and lower said clamp timed to lower the clamp withthe openerextending below the guide'spout as the guide spout approaches chargingposition, to raise the clamp the lower end of the opener is as high asthe bottom end of the guide spout by the time charging position isreached, and to thereafter lower the clamp to releasing position toraise the clamp and filled bag, and means to release the lowered clam'p.

CARL H. HARTMAN. ESLI A. MARSH.

NEILL E. DORRINGTON.

